Primrose
by N7ReCrUiT
Summary: In an alternate universe, Mr. Everdeen never died. But Katniss did when she was twelve. Prim has an eleven year old brother and it is her first reaping. When she gets picked everything changes. Lots of OC's. Be honest and please review. And post questions you may have. It is AU so things are different.
1. A twist of Fate

I tug at my long blonde hair until it just about comes out of my head. It's my first reaping and I'm scared witless. I can hardly breathe…

My name is Primrose Everdeen and I've lived in this cruel world for twelve years. My sister, Katniss, died when I was seven. My father hunts to sustain the lives of my mother, my eleven year old brother Oakland, and me.

I'm sitting at home, trying to get a hold of myself. I can't let my brother see that I've been crying. I begin to get ready for the square, just going through the motions, trying to keep my emotions in check. My mother laid out a new emerald colored dress earlier in the day that she made for me. I slip it on and jam my feet into my almost too small shoes. I brush my hair out and let it fall down to my lower back. My family had all left earlier to leave me alone for a bit.

After one last look in the mirror and deciding I don't look like a complete wreck, I begin the long walk to the square.

When I arrive, the stage is already set up. The mayor, his wife, and Effie Trinket, District 12's chaperone, sit off to the left. The victors are on the right. There are only three: A forty something year old drunk named Haymitch Abernathy, the mayor's daughter, Madge Undersee, and Gale Hawthorne.

I take my place amid the other children in danger. Once everyone is assembled, Effie stands looking as ridiculous as ever in her pink hair, suit, and make-up.

"Welcome!" she says into the microphone in that ludicrous Capitol accent. "The time is upon us to select one courageous young man and woman for the 71st annual Hunger Games!"

The clapping that follows is required by law.

"Ladies first then!" she squeaks. My nerves cool as Effie's hand dives into the bowl, and I feel confident that I won't be chosen. After all, it's only my first year. Effie's hand lingers among the papers for a second, before her hand snatches up one slip as fast as viper. She walks back to the microphone and opens it up. A pause, and then…

"Primrose Everdeen!"

A large, blown up picture of my face appears on the large screen behind Effie. I can feel my throat tighten. She just read _my_ name. I'm in shock, I can't believe it. It's not true.

Suddenly there are four peacekeepers around me. I can hear those who know me crying. My family. The peacekeepers walk me to the stage. I stand there just to the right of Effie. I can see the faces of those I love now, shining with tears. My mother, my father, Oakland…what's going to happen to them? The reality of the situation hits my chest like a load of bricks, making it hard to breathe.

But I don't cry. I have no tears left after Katniss.

"How old are you darling?" Effie inquires of me with a stunning smile on her face. I expect this. I'm of an average height and weight, but I have a mature face and am farther along in development, so it's hard to tell exactly how old I am.

"Twelve." I say in a steady voice. There's a low muttering and uncomfortable shifting from everyone present. No one likes it when twelve year-olds are selected.

"Alright then, are there any volunteers?" calls out Effie, attempting to dispel the tense feeling in the air. As expected, no one makes a move to help the poor little girl they feel so sorry for. "No? Very well then, now for the boy!"

She repeats her actions at the second reaping ball, then returns to the microphone and opens the paper. The pause, and then a shout.

"Rorick Hawthorne!"

There's a very prominent and collective gasp in the audience, and I'm among them. Gale, the Hunger Games victor, watches grief stricken as his younger brother mounts the stage for what could be his death.

"How old are you dear?" probes Effie. He mutters something inaudible. "What my dear?" she asks again. "Thirteen" mutters Rorick, just loud enough to hear. Another uncomfortable shuffle in the crowd. He's still very young.

"Well does anyone wish to volunteer in this young man's place in the games?" asks Effie. Dead silence greets her. I feel a pang of irritation. Everyone thinks it's wrong when young children are chosen, yet no one takes our places. We live in a world full of hypocrites.

"Well then, let's hear a warm applause for our tributes, Rorick Hawthorne and Primrose Everdeen!" shouts an enthusiastic Effie.

The applause that follows is also required by law.


	2. The Start of the End

The peacekeepers take me and Rorick to the justice building, and into separate rooms. No one says anything. When the door of my room closes behind me, I'm still stunned. I sit down on the soft velvet couch and wait for my family to come.

I cannot think of anything that would help in the arena. I look around the beautiful room. I try to be optimistic. If I hadn't been chosen, I would have never been wealthy enough to be in a room so nice.

I'm so deep in thought that I jump almost a mile in the air when Oakland and my mother and father burst through the door nearly in tears. I hug my brother first. I assure him that I'm holding up, and that I'm okay.

"Prim, promise me you'll win," he pleads. "You have to come home!"

"I…I'll try." It's all I can manage. My father and mother are both firing hunting techniques and healing procedures I can use.

They're devastated; I can see it in their eyes. They don't want to lose their second daughter as well. I hug them tightly.

"I'll be home soon," I tell them.

We hold each other until the Peacekeepers come and tear them away. The next visitor is a true surprise. The baker's son, Peeta, steps in.

"Hi," he says. "I have a confession to make. I was in love with your sister for six years. Since we were five. I know it seems silly to say it now, but because you're her sister I don't want you to die. I feel almost responsible." He looked me straight in the eyes." If I could, I would have volunteered for you. But since I can't the most I can offer you are mine and my family's support. You are allowed one small token from your district. I made this for Katniss years ago."

He holds out a beaded hair ornament. It's just the kind of thing Katniss would have worn. It was beautiful. I take it and throw my arms around him. "Thank you," I say.

He leaves and I'm alone again. I attach the ornament to one of my bangs. I then work my hair into the braid Katniss used to wear. It falls down to my mid-back.

I wait until Rorick and I are collected. We're put on the train and for the first time we're alone. I turn to him and hold out my hand.

"Prim. Nice to meet you."

He takes my hand and says, "So I hear. I'm Rory."


	3. A Firey Proposition

We arrived in the Capitol and were sheparded into the prep building. We were separated and taken to be readied for the stylists.

My prep team immediately stripped me down to wash me. I was young, but I've developed more than most girls my age. The fact that one of them was a man made me self-conscious.

My prep team was loud and annoying. They were chatting about silly things in the world. Things that didn't really matter to normal people. They scrubbed my hair and body clean and beyond. Then they used a strange machine to dry me in under a second. They fixed my nails, make-up, and hair.

They left me alone and I retrieved my robe. I had some time to myself for once so I looked at my fresh nails. They had been painted with some kind of liquid material to make them look and feel like coal. My hair was in the same braid Katniss wore, but my hair was sleek and shiny. My lips were black and so was my eye make-up. My skin sparkled with a black glitter of some kind.

My stylist stepped in and introduced himself as Cinna.

He had dark skin and simple close cropped hair. The only make-up he wore was a tiny bit of gold eyeliner that boosted his natural eyes somehow.

"So what crazy outfit am I wearing for the opening ceremonies? Rocks?" I asked tentatively.

"No. Nothing so bland and boring." He said with a spark in his eye. "That and the coal miner thing have been done a million times, and it bores me to tears so I chose something more exciting and simple. Fire. A safe synthetic fire that doesn't burn you."

He pulled out a coal black v-neck dress that fell to my knees. After I slipped into the dress, I put on the simple black leather lace up boots. Then Cinna brought out the little golden crown with large black gemstones. I looked at the girl in the mirror and noticed how much older I looked.

She was tall for twelve and had a regal look. Cinna walked me to the chariot room and went off to go get the fire ready. So I walked to the chariot alone. Rory was already there and dressed in a black tunic, black boots, and a gold and black stoned crown.

"Hey. You look…just like me." I said. He smiled a brilliant smile and laughed.

The chariots had already begun to move out. They were already up to District 10. We quickly loaded on to the chariot and Cinna was there to light us on fire. I clenched my teeth and waited for the pain. But there was none. Only a light tickle. But we were definitely on fire.

"Look straight forward. Show no emotion. Oh and-"said Cinna. But I couldn't hear the last thing he said. The music was too loud.

As we began to move, Rory took my hand and I assumed that's what Cinna had said. Honestly I wasn't complaining.

As we moved forward the Capitol was positively dying to see the flaming tributes from District 12.

_We might actually get sponsors. Maybe…maybe I can win. _I held fast and unloaded the chariot with Rory as we caught up to the other tributes. We stood in the formation as instructed and waited for the President. President Snow emerged and was met with a loud applause.

He waited until it was over and began his speech. When he was finished the tributes all reloaded their chariots and began to head back in numerical order.


	4. Learned Skills

After the opening ceremonies and a day of strategizing with Gale and Madge, it was time for training. I awoke to Cinna knocking on my door. He had my training outfit. I took it and he left to give Rory his. I showered and began to dress. It was a black, red, and grey shirt and pants and black shoes.

Once Rory and I were dressed in the training outfits, we were put on the elevator down. We were among the first to arrive.

Districts 1, 2, and 4 were already there. This was expected. They were the Careers. Several of them glared at us which probably meant they were still upset about being upstaged by District 12 at the Ceremonies. Once everyone had assembled the head trainer read us the riot act.

Don't fight with other tributes and don't kill anyone.

Afterward we were free to train where we felt fit. Gale told me to stay with Rory so I acquiesced. We were told to not focus heavily on our strengths such as archery, first-aid, or hand to hand combat.

Gale told us to lift weights, throw a spear or some knives, or learn about the plants. "Where should we go?" I asked. Rory shrugged. "Knives?" "Sure, why not?" When got there, the woman behind the counter shows us how to land a successful throw. Practicing on a dummy was easy, but I was not looking forward to the real thing.

For reasons unknown, I seem to have a natural affinity for this.

Rory on the other hand does not.

"Why can't I do it?!" yelled Rory as he threw a knife that landed in the wall. Several tributes turned around and snickered. Typical District 12. I ignored them and told him we should move on. He angrily agreed. We made our way to the weight lifting area and Rory began to cheer up as he was able to do something I wasn't. Afterward we started learning plants. "Remember, there are four berries guaranteed to be in the arena. Two poisonous, two safe. Never pick a green berry. Always choose the orange." Said the trainer. I was starting to wish I had gone with my father to learn to hunt and such.

The boy next to me looked to be about eighteen. He was tall and had an angry look on his face. I looked up twice to catch him looking at me. I peered around him to see his district. On his back was a big 2. District 2! I nudged Rory and pointed at it. His eyes widened and motioned for us to leave. We began to leave when, "I'm not gonna bite District 12." I looked at him and this time he was looking down at his work.

We left anyway per Madge's instructions not to associate until we entire the arena.

It was now time for the private lessons with Gale and Madge. It went in a backwards count and ended with District 1 doing their evaluation. Gale walked in and took Rory immediately to the weights and spears.

Madge came up to me. "So where do you think we should spend our twenty minutes?" she inquired. "Archery and knife throwing, then to the knot tying." I immediately replied. She nodded and we were off. My father taught me how to handle a bow and said I was great but I don't really like to kill animals. In the coming couple of days Gale said he would help me get over that. I notched the bow and land four bull's-eyes. The knives were the same result.

After ten minutes in each skill I had land twenty arrows in one dummy and ten knives in another. By the time we were done, I hadn't gotten a chance to tie knots. Rory had managed to throw a spear through the head of another dummy at fifteen feet.

"You guys are doing great. If you can make yourself memorable you'll be fine." Said Gale. I wonder how many dead tributes he's told that to. We entered the waiting room and sat as the other twenty tributes filed out and back in until District 1 was called. In a matter of hours it was Rory's turn.

I waited alone for twenty minutes until they called for me. When I entered the Gamemakers were set up on a balcony and waved for me to begin. Grabbed one of the bows, a handful of arrows and a couple of throwing knives.

Once I was set I notched an arrow when a bell rang in my head. _Make them remember you._ Gale told us that when we left. I grabbed two more arrows and notched all three. All three arrows met their mark. The head, throat, and heart. I glanced back and saw I had grabbed their attention. Quick as snake, I unsheathed my knife and threw it at the same dummy. A second later the head of the dummy rolled away.

"Thank you, Miss Everdeen. We require nothing else. You may go." Said the head Gamemaker. I bowed politely as I could and exited. _Had I over done it? _My face was burning as the elevator door closed. I rubbed my tired eyes and exited on my floor. I immediately ignored everyone and took a long shower. I scrubbed my hair until it started to come out. I got out and used the drying machine and slipped into a pair of loose trousers and a t-shirt.

When I finally came out, Gale called me over to the viewing room for the results. I sat down; biting my nails scared of what was to come. The Capitol symbol and anthem appeared on the screen.

The way it works is that the tribute's face, name, and score are put on the screen in district order. The beautiful pair from District 1 scored a 9 and a 10, District 2 scored an 11 and 9, District 3 scored a 7 and 5, District 4 scored 8 and a 9, District 5 scored a 6 and an 8, District 6 scored a 2 and a 9, District 7 both got 4's, District 8 got a 7 and a 1, District 9 got 3 and 2, District 10 got 8 and 5, and District 11 got 8 and 7. Here it is. The moment of truth. Rorick Hawthorne, 10! Primrose Everdeen….10!

We both got tens! I was in shock. Madge was crying, Gale was cheering, and Effie was beyond herself. Finally, she had some decent tributes.


	5. Laughter is Good

My prep team had scrubbed me ready for the interviews chatting away as usual. They gave me these temporary tattoos of intertwining flames. They did an unusual thing to my hair.

They dyed every other strand of my hair deep red. After they were done my hair shimmered red when I turn. They left chatting away. When they left I couldn't help smiling. At least somewhere in the world people were happy. Cinna entered carrying a bag that contained my interview dress.

Sticking to a palette of fire, Cinna made fiery silk dress that shimmered the different colors that fire turns at different temperatures. Purple, green, yellow, and blue. It was beautiful. I put it on and Cinna brought out the shoes. They were tall heels that had the same effect my dress did. When I was ready Cinna walked me to the studio and gave me a big hug.

"Be yourself. Let your heart and mouth do the talking not your brain." He reminds me. I walked in and sat next to Rory who was wearing an all black suit with red lining and a red tie.

"You look great." He whispered. "Thanks." I said. When the interviews began Caesar Flickerman began running through beautifully dressed young women and dressed up young men. Some were exchanging jokes, some remained silent and deadly looking. Rory went up and played the handsome, funny young man card Gale told him to use. Then it was me. I walked up to the interview stage as beautifully as I could. Caesar smiled at me with his creepy ageless, surgically altered face. As scary as he was, he was very kind.

"Well Primrose, how do you feel about being the youngest tribute here?" he asked. "I feel that every other district will feel shamed at losing to a 12 year-old." The words left my mouth before I could check them. But instead of booing they were laughing. This was my chance. "So tell us about the opening ceremonies. Those costumes were phenomenal. How did that come about?"he pried. "Well Cinna, my stylist, just got very mad and lit us on fire. Luckily we were done with the ceremonies before we burned to death." More laughter! They were mine.

Some of the other tributes looked uncomfortable.

The boy from District 2 was cracking up. What was with him? Why is he so interested in me?

"One last question, how did you make a ten?" I had to think about that one. "Well since I'm **_so _**rich, I slipped the Gamemakers some money." This time everyone in the audience, the tributes, and the entire Capitol was laughing. The buzzer sounded and I gratefully walked back to my seat.

When I sat back down in my seat Caesar could barely finish a sentence. Rory and I returned to our floor to a happy sponsor and a happy pair of victors. I slept peacefully that night. I dreamt of home. Katniss, Oakland, and I were running around, Mom and Dad were calling us for a picnic. As I reached the picnic it ended. When I woke up, I remembered the horrible truth. Today were the Games.

When I was dressed in the uniform the tributes were wearing, I made my way to breakfast. Rory was dressed just like me black combat pants; black cotton t-shirt, black practical combat boots, and a black thigh-length jacket lined with red. We ate in silence. Then with a hug from Gale, Madge, and Effie, we were off.

We reached the arena and were separated to our pedestals. I sat there thinking about how I would die, hopefully quickly and painlessly. Without warning, my pedestal rose upward and I was in. We waited our required minute and the gong sounded.

The Hunger Games had begun.


	6. Anything Could Happen

Adrenaline. That's all I felt. Gale told us that if we could get to the Cornucopia and not die, do it. I'm fast and somehow I make it there first. A hand gripped my shoulder. The hand was too rough to be Rory, so back kick and he releases me. I grab a knife, whip around and see it's the District 11 boy.

He lunges at me and with one swipe he is down. A cannon sounds and I knows he is dead. I grab the bow and quiver full of arrows, the throwing knives, in my haste I grab some other weapon and a bag of supplies. I look for Rory and see him fighting a tribute girl. While I was grabbing supplies two more cannons sounded. I fish out a knife and strike her down. Rory grins in thanks. He got a spear, knife and a pack. I jerk my head and he agrees we have to get away. We turn and run. We don't stop for about two hours. When we stop we're exhausted and six more cannons have sounded. When we stopped, two more went off. We collapsed and for the first time I take a look at the arena. It's a forest. A thick one. There was a sparkling lake at the cornucopia. If it wasn't so dangerous, it would be beautiful. Rory and I begin examining our supplies and weapons. Our packs each contained a plastic bottle for water, a bag of dried beef and one with fruit, an extra pair of socks, and one pair on sunglasses. We move on to the weapons. Rory's spear is nice and sharp. I leave it for him. He is way better at them. His knife is a common hunting knife with a serrated edge for sawing. My bow is brown and so is the quiver. My knives vary in size weight and shape. There were twenty-four since I used one at the Cornucopia. My hunting knife is same as his. Finally I turn to the last item I selected. It was a long silver tube with a hole on each side.

A cupped end and a small end just big enough for a needle. A little black bag was attached to the cupped end. I untied it and handed it to Rory for him to examine. "These are darts." He said sounding rather surprised. Of course! A blowdart tube. I hand Rory my hunting knife and he gives me back the darts. We find a tree with small cave in it only big enough for people who were small like us. We rest and around nightfall the Capitol Anthem startles me. We scramble out to see the day's deaths. The tributes from Districts 4 through 8 were dead. My kills from Districts 9 and 11 flashed in the sky. When they were up there, I raised my fingers to my lips then to them. Rory followed the suit. I clearly had the ability to kill, but it did sit well with me. When retreat into our cave we decide we're gonna need a fire to survive the night. Outside, I found some firewood and a sizable rock to cover the entrance to our little cave.

For the next few days, we alternated gathering food. It rained the third day, so we had plenty of water for a few days. There were no deaths in the past week. But the weather had also dried up since the rain. We were out of water and if we didn't get more, it would be a slow death.

"I want to try to find water today." I blurt out. Rory raised an eyebrow. It was completely random since we were talking about first-aid techniques. "There's a lake by the Cornucopia. I think I can go get water and be back in no time." I say confidently. He looks uncomfortable. "I don't know. Maybe there's water nearby. I say we scout out the area." he suggests. "Look if we don't get water soon, we'll die. We know where the water is. We have bottles. This'll be easy." I can see he isn't convinced. "Alright, what if we split up? I'll go to the lake and you go scout around. In six hours we'll meet back here if it's safe." he still looks uncomfortable when he agrees. We prepare everything for the next morning. When we wake up, we share a beef strip. Before we leave he pulls me in for a long hug. I clutch at him for about five minutes. "Be safe, okay?" he says. "I promise." I say my face buried in his shoulder. When he lets go and runs off, I feel something tugging at the back of my mind. _He'll be fine, I'll be fine. We'll be back in the cave in no time. _But as I said that, something tugs at me. I have no idea what could happen in the games.


	7. Why?

Chapter 7

I run at a jog in the forest underbrush.

I keep my breathing quiet and low.

After about one hour I see the lake and a campfire. I see some familiar faces at the campfire. The Careers. I stop and crouch down and edge closer and closer to the lake.

I'm about twenty feet away from the precious water when it happens. He sees me, I know it.

The boy from District 2.

He looks up and we make eye contact. His face is expressionless. He has a bow as well. I'm an easy target, but instead of striking me down, he smirks and walks in the opposite direction. He walks into the patch of forest opposite me and disappears.

I put it aside in my head and try and evaluate my situation. It won't be an easy grab.

After about five minutes, I hear his cries for help. I can see fire blazing over where he is.

Is he…helping me? Regardless, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. The other Careers run toward him and that's when I run for the camp. There were six full water bottles. I grab them and then I see it.

A blanket!

It gets so cold at night in the arena.

I grab it, it's big but I'll manage. But as I turn around I come face to face with him.

District 2.

His face is full of disbelief and covered in soot and burns. "You're still here?! You have to go! They're coming! Go!" he yells at me. I'm shocked and as I begin to comprehend the boy from District 1 arrives and sees us.

His face first shows disbelief, then anger. He draws his axe and sword. District 2 pushes me yelling run and grabs a spear. I run as they begin to fight. The other Careers haven't noticed. They're still trying to put out the fire. I run hard and fast just like the first day. I reach the cave just before dark.

A cannon went off as I was running. As I reached the cave I accept District 2 died protecting me.

The Anthem and Symbol blare in the sky and I feel the need to look and see my savior's face one last time. The picture comes up and it's not District 2.

It's Rory.

I collapse and I feel a crushing emptiness in me. What if he came to help and died in the fire? What if he ran into a Career? Was it my fault?

My body does not allow me to cry. As I'm sitting there, I almost miss the little silver parachute. A sponsor gift! I grab it and rip open the small cloth bag. Inside is a slip of paper. I open it and read, _District 3._ It was District 3?!

Relief and anger blossoms inside me. I ready myself to hunt for tributes the next morning.


	8. A Team Up

The forest was dim form the overcast clouds. For the past two days I've been searching for the tributes from District 3.

I vowed not to stop until I caught them and killed them myself. I had ventured far west into the marshy area in hopes they would be here. After searching for about three hours, my anger released in a huge torrent.

I screamed into the sky.

"You know they'll find us if you scream." said the voice. I whipped around a knife in hand and I see him leaning there, pale and weak.

District 2 looked horrible.

He had a badly bandaged stomach wound and a bruise on his cheek. I should be gratefully checking his wounds. But I'm still suspicious. "Why? Why did you help me? What's your motive?" I barrage him with questions. He patiently waits for me to finish my rant. After I finish I say, "Thanks." "No problem. I helped you because I wanted to, okay?" he says defensively. "Fine." I say even though it didn't satisfy me.

"Alright District 2, my turn to save you." I walked over to him and examined his wounds. They were bad. The bleeding had stopped, but only recently. His wound were scabbing and oozing pus a little bit. "Don't move. This could sting a little." I said. I ripped off the bandages and got fresh ones ready for application. I applied the new bandages and gave him some homemade salve for the bruise.

"Taren. My name is Taren." he says softly. "Primrose, but just call me Prim. Everyone does." I say. For the first time I get a good look at him. He's about six feet tall, he has short blonde hair, green eyes, and a strong build.

"Allies?" I whisper.

It was unprecedented Districts 12 and 2 teaming up. "Allies." he said. I lead him back to the cave. About halfway back I stop cold. Taren looked back concerned. "What's wrong, is someone here?"

"No, I just realized my birthday was yesterday."

It's the little things that pass you up in the arena. Taren relaxed. "How old are you now?" he asked. "Thirteen." I almost whisper. "Cool. I'm fourteen."

Hold up. He's only fourteen?! He looks like a grown man! I don't press it, because I don't want to seem mean. We learned that Districts 1, 2, and 4 have Career training academies. Likely he has been building himself for the games.

We continued until we reached the tree cave. I wiggled in and pushed the rock completely out of the way so he could get in. Once he was in I pushed the rock back where it was before. He nodded approvingly at the natural shelter I had found.

"This is awesome. We have everything we need. So what happened after you left? I got out of there after I got cut and was just able to apply bandages before I passed out." "There has only been one other death. My partner, Rory." I say bitterly.

I look up and see he is staring at the slip of paper on the wall. "District 3? Is your sponsor sending you targets?" he asks near horrified. "No, they sent me that after I saw his face in the sky."

"Oh. So I guess that's who you were looking for?" I could see it bothered him that I just happened to find him. "Yeah, I've made it my personal mission to kill them if nothing else." I say nonchalantly. He drops the topic which I appreciate. I assess the equipment he was able to salvage for the camp. A bow with about twelve arrows, slightly battle-worn spear, matches, some rope, bandages, and some food and an extra water bottle

I'm ecstatic with all the supplies he managed to get.

I look up and noticed how bad he really looked. His face was grey from blood loss and dripping with sweat. He was shivering with chills. I grab the blanket and throw it over him despite his protests.

In a matter of minutes he is out cold.


	9. Intensify

After about a day and a half, I know Taren's better. He's up and helping with the chores.

The next day we begin hunting for District 3 again. We stalked the forest for the entire day and got no further.

I was about to give up for the day when as the sun went down, a fire was lit. My spirits soared. I began to run toward it and as I got closer I crouched down. Taren caught up panting heavily.

He crouched down and readied his bow. "Man you're a fast little thing." he pants. I take a good look. Yup it's them alright. Then I see it. Rory's token.

His little chain with a piece of coal on it. The girl was wearing it. Every so often he would pause and hold it and sigh.

Anger blossomed in me. I notched an arrow and aimed at the girl's back. I needed no bracing for this kill. I released and the arrow soared into her shoulder. She screamed and fell to her knees. The boy whirled around just in time to see Taren's arrow nail him in the heart.

The cannon sounded and the girl began to weep.

I walked out and pulled out the biggest knife in my arsenal. The girl spotted me and seemed to recognize me.

"Wait! You're from District 12! The boy! From your District! He told me to give you this! He got bit by snake! We found him as… as he died. He wanted us to find you and give you this!" she threw me the pendant.

I caught it and stared at it.

Taren put a hand on my shoulder. The girl stood up and as I was about to thank her, a sword blade appeared out of her stomach. She looked down, looked back up and began to convulse. Her eyes rolled up into her head and the cannon sounded. The sword retracted and she fell down. The District 1 girl stood there with the most evil smile. I fished out a random knife and threw it at her. She knocked it aside with ease. "Ah finally! I was hoping to find you two!" she purred. Her voice was as beautiful as she was, but there was a dangerous edge in it.

"Glare back off before you do something you regret." growled Taren.

Glare laughed just before she lunged. I dodged and Taren lunged. He stuck her before she made it two feet. But not before she threw the sword and sliced a cut in his bad side.

I rushed to him as her cannon sounded. He looked up at me and said, "If I die, I just want you to know, I helped you because I love you, Prim."

The dam holding my emotions burst.

I cried. I cried for Katniss. I cried for Gale, who lost his little brother. I cried for Rory who lost his _life. _I cried for Taren who feel I love.

My name is Primrose Everdeen. I am thirteen years old. My partner Rory Hawthorne and I were selected for the Hunger Games. Rory died a couple ago. I teamed up with Taren Mason. He is in love with me. I believe I love him too. My name is Prim, I am in the Hunger Games with Taren, and I am going to win.


	10. Is this Death?

It's been two days since the fiasco with Districts 3 and 1. There are only eight tributes left. Me, Teran, the girls from Districts 2, 10, and 11 and the boys from Districts 1, 9, and 10 are all still alive.

But it's only a matter of time before the Capitol gets bored with this and the gamemakers force us to fight. Teran's doing better do to the medicine that his sponsors sent. We decided it was time to hunt. We stepped outside and were greeted with the silence.

A silence that made my skin crawl.

As we walked I became more aware that it was blazing hot. It's as if the gamemakers are turning the temperature for some reason. We walked farther than we intended and turn to go home empty handed when Claudius Templesmith came on the speaker for first time of this year's Games.

"Hello Tributes! I am here to announce…a feast! It will have everything required for each of the teams and alliances in existence and all who survive will be one step closer to winning."

I looked at Teran and saw the same conflicted look on his face. Should we go? Take the risk, with all our injuries? When I say that I mean Taren's injuries. I only have a few minor cuts and bruises.

"And all tributes who attend will learn of the Game's **_winners. _**If you would like to find out what I mean come at dawn."

I stop in my tracks as the message ends. Winners!? I look at Taren's grim expression.

"No, we can't do it. It's too dangerous." he says. "What if there's medicine for all your injuries?!" I yell.

We argue for about ten minutes before I drop the subject. We continue our hunting and gathering in silence. Taren puts that angry look on his face. Over the time that I've known him, I've learned that that face is his way of showing that he is conflicted. We return with our loot about an hour later.

Our haul is rather light today. Probably because we were so angry. I began thinking of a way to sneak to the feast without him knowing. Since the argument, he hasn't left to myself.

My original theory was that the feast is at dawn and I'm fast. But Taren must have seen that coming and is hounding me to death.

We get back into the cave as it gets dark. I can see the sun painting the sky the color of blood. Taren lights a fire and sits down to rest. While his cuts are doing better, he is still pretty weak. He is still angry. It shows on his face. He pulls off his shoes and begins to massage his aching feet. This is my chance to soften my punishment when I return from the feast. I sit next to him and pull his arms around me. Partly because I'm cold, but also because it's comforting.

His face softens into a smile. He pulls me close and is soon out cold. I've learned over the past few nights that Taren is the world's soundest sleeper. The minute I hear him snoring, I extract myself from his arms and grab my stuff.

I have to freeze several times because I hear him shuffle. When I have all of my belongings, I squeeze out of the tree root cave and begin the journey. I run at a steady jog, pacing myself and conserving my energy for the fights that are sure to come. As the night begins to end I come up to the Cornucopia. The way a feast works is anyone who wants to come, comes and they wait for one minute. After which a gong will sound like at the beginning of the Games. Then you load with supplies and kill as you see fit. I'm the first to arrive and I can just about see the sun. I hope that the other Tributes decided the risk was too great. As I'm lost in my thoughts, three other tributes burst out of the forest. The girls from District 2 and 11 and the boy from District 9. I guess District 10 didn't want to risk it. We wait there for what seems like hours until we hear the gong. I take off as fast as I can and I see the District 9 boy about to reach the supplies. I reach for my bow and pull out my blowdart tube. I haven't used it at all and there's no time like the present. I load a dart and stop running. I take my aim and blow. I see him recoil with a hit and fall to the ground and begin to twitch. The poison must be slow.

I hold the tube in one hand and my bow in the other. I run toward the Cornucopia, my eyes scanning the terrain for the other two girls. I see them fighting sword to knife and I grab two of my last four arrows.

I spin around and release my arrows at the girls, praying they make contact. I hear one land with a thud and a grunt and then two cannons go off.

I have no time to check for who is dead and alive. I need to grab some supplies and get out. I begin loading my arms with supplies and weapons when I get the sense that there is something behind me. As I move to turn around it happens.

The pain spreads quickly throughout my body. I can feel the blade in me. I fall to my hands and knees, gasping for air. My vision blurs and I fall to my side and I begin to fade away.

I can hear my name being called, a splatter of something warm and wet, and then gentle hands cradling me. My brain refuses to process anything and I begin to give in to the tempting sleep. When I finally surrender I think about how warm and comforted I feel.


	11. Rebirth

I'm having the dream again. My sister is alive, she is playing with me and my brother, and our parents have a picnic set up. I'm running to them and just before I get there someone else arrives and I stop cold. Taren comes and sits next to my family. He's smiling and everyone is happy. I begin to run again, but this time faster. Just as I reach the blanket and Taren extends his arms, the dream ends.

…

I want to scream, but I don't know how now that I'm dead. Being dead isn't so bad. Except that I still feel pain in my back. And the light is really bright now for some for some reason. It's weird because I'm dead. My vision begins to return and I see the walls of the cave. I realize the horrible truth. I'm still alive. Most people would be ecstatic to be alive, but I'm in the Hunger Games. I try to rise, alittle too quickly, and I feel a sharp pain in my mid-back.

I examine the cave with my new found vision. It looks exactly the same. I slowly us the wall to get to my feet. I examine myself and see the only problem is a bandage wrapped around my stomach.

My back ached and my head was spinning. I walked out to the entrance and squirmed out. The light was bright and shining in the mid afternoon. When my eyes adjusted, I saw that it was the same area and everything. That's when I heard the rustling in the bushes and I braced myself for what would come. I hadn't the strength nor the will to defend myself.

If death wishes to claim me now let him, I welcome him like an old friend.

At that moment Taren stepped out holding two rabbits. He saw me and the shock showed clearly on his face. He dropped his rabbits and moved to me. The pain and weight of it all, my injuries and emotional pain, finally took their toll.

I collapsed into his arms. Luckily he was there to catch me. He held me for about ten minutes. When he let go, the sun was just about to make its dissent. "Come on. You probably have more questions than is safe to answer out here." He said. I nodded. He was right. I needed to know what had happened. I let him lead me inside and propped me against the wall with the blanket. I had a million questions for him, but I decided to take pity on him and ask one at a time. "What happened? I don't remember anything."

"Well I woke up and noticed you were gone. I hadn't processed what was going because I hadn't woken up fully. Then I heard the gong go off and I remembered everything. I grabbed my spear and ran to catch up. I hoped that you hadn't run into Cutter or Chive. Cutter is the boy from District 1 and Chive is the girl from my District. So when I arrived there I say that boy from District 9 dead with a dart in his neck and Chive was dead with an arrow in her left temple. Both your work I bet. Then I saw you getting supplies. I also saw that girl from District 11 knife you in the back. I yelled your name but you were fading fast. My anger took hold and I sent my spear straight through her head. I got to you as her cannon went off and held you waiting for your cannon. But it never came. So after about five minutes I grabbed some med supplies and tried my best to clean you up. There was so much blood. So I grabbed new weapons and fresh supplies and carried you and the supplies back here."

He raised his eyebrows waiting for the next question. I stared at him for a minute. That was at least a mile and a half. "Are you mad at me for what I did?"

"I was. While you were recuperating I kept thinking of all the things I would yell at you. But as I watched you lying there, totally peaceful, all the anger kind of flushed away. What can I say? I'm in love." He smiles and that brings me to another question.

"Since when do you love me? When did that happen?"

"Well as a Career I had to watch the reapings to see who I was facing. So watching them no one caught my eye, until the small beautiful blonde haired girl from District 12 strutted up to the stage. I didn't catch her name and my mentor refused to go back. So I dropped it, but you still stuck out in my mind. At the ceremonies there you were, on fire and beautiful as ever. I had to work hard to remain passive. When we were training I tried to stay close to you to see if you were strong or just a pretty face. I didn't really see you much, because you kept on the move. When you got to see my District number you backed off really quickly and I started to lose interest. Then I saw your training score. I knew that the mystery girl from District 12 was the one for me."

I was in shock. He had noticed me back in the reapings. Another thought of one last question. "What did Claudius Templesmith mean by _winners_?" I ask maybe a little too eagerly. Taren shakes his head as though to say he won't speak of it. "Taren, please. Tell me." I plead softly. He looks up into my eyes which were tearing up.

"The twist is that any two tributes can win from any two Districts. But they can never return to their home Districts. They can never see their families again. They have to live in the Capitol together for the rest of their lives."


	12. Almost Over

I felt my heart sink deep into my chest. I had nothing left in my again. I was a scared child again.

No, no I have to be strong and grow up.

I go to get up because I need to clear my head. My back isn't as painful at the moment so I look around for my bow. "Where's my bow?" I ask still broken inside.

"I'm sorry Prim but…it's broken. When you fell over, you crushed it in half. I was able to get another bow and more arrows at the Cornucopia. Here it is." After a moment of shuffling in his pack, he pulled out a sleek black bow with a silver handle and silver tips. But it wasn't mine. It wasn't the one I had made kills with. The one I had hunted with. It seems silly, but in the Games, you need something to cling to. I took it and sat down again. I set it down and held my arms out for Taren to come sit with me.

He was there in a heartbeat, his arms pulling me in close. I never want him to let go.

"How many Tributes are left?" I ask.

"District 10 died while you were asleep. It's just us and Cutter." He replies.

I can't say I'm at all surprised. He was so strong and determined. I'm making him sound better than he is. "What are we going to do? I promised my brother I would come home. But…I love you." He smiled and held me lovingly.

His smiled faded quickly as he thought more about the situation. "I don't know. I do know that if it comes down to the two of us and you want to go home, I'll let you go home alone." What he said scared me. He really did love me. I was eager to get off this topic. "When should we go hunting for Cutter?" I ask. "As soon as we can. How do you feel?"

"Great, thanks to you. I'm ready. Are you?"

"Yeah, guess we should gear up for tomorrow." But we don't for several hours of holding each other. When our things are set up, we settle down for a long rest. I put out the fire and lay down for the night.

The dream reoccurs again for the third time again. But this time Taren is on one end of the field and my family is on the other. I'm in the middle and I have to choose. But I just can't. I want both but can only have one.

I wake up with light shining through the cracks of the cave. Taren is setting up his gear and looks over at me with a smile. I stand up and help him out with the gear. I load up my new bow into the quiver with the twenty-five arrows Taren salvaged from the feast. My blow dart tube and my darts at my belt and in my quiver and my last twenty knives at my belt. I pull on my pack and when he has his stuff loaded, we exit to leave.

I had the feeling we wouldn't be returning, so I raised my fingers to my lips and then to the cave. Taren was confused, although he tried not to show it. We trekked toward the lake.

"He needs water, and being from District 1, he isn't very resourceful. He'll need water and food. The lake is both for him. He won't leave if he's smart." I explained my logic to Taren the night before.

We walked in silence for a little while, and then I stopped and sat down. "What are you doing? We don't have the luxury of staying to stationary." He said rather tiredly. "I'm just a little tired. Give me one second." My back's ache was becoming a little more prominent.

After about five minutes and a half a bottle of water, I'm up and ready for the next stage of the walk. "I'm ready. Let's go." We walk until we see the lake on the horizon. When it appears, we immediately move into the trees. We approach the lake as cautiously and quietly as we can. We survey the lake for about ten minutes we see my logic was dead wrong. We take the chance to refill our water bottles and try to fish, which is unsuccessful. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna grab some berries and roots."

"Okay, just be careful. Yell if you need help." I nod and move from the lake to the forest to begin my harvest. I take my time picking through the number of sweet berries and starchy roots there are. It almost feels like I'm home, helping my mother shop. I pick up the most savory roots and the sweetest berries, planning to make a rabbit stew and a sweet berry jam for Teran as thanks for taking such good care of me.

It's starting to get dark as I make my way back. As I get back to Taren I hear a sound that is totally alien to me. It sounds like a wolf and a bird of some sort. Then a totally human scream shattered the night. I turn in time to see Cutter running toward us and scream, "RUN! RUN NOW! IT'S THE MUTTATIONS! THEY SICKED THE MUTTATIONS ON US!"


	13. Final Choice

I start to process what he said as he barreled past us toward the lake. I looked at the direction he came from and saw them appear flapping about a foot off the ground. They had the wings and eyes of an eagle, the tails and the maws of a wolf.

I pull out a couple of knives and throw them into the group. I'm able to take out four of them, but there are at least eight more coming. I turn to run but my back is just too pain in back won't let me go any faster than a quick walk. Taren saw me struggle and ran to me.

Before I can object he scoops me into his arms and turns to run. He catches up to Cutter in a matter of seconds. They run to the lake and splash in a few yards. For some reason the mutts have some aversion to water and refuse to come any closer. Taren sets me down and they work on catching their breath. Cutter still has his axe and already has it drawn. Out of precaution I draw an arrow and notch my bow. I aim it straight for his heart.

He stands up, sees me, and laughs at the very sight. Taren holds his spear in a defensive position and I nearly drop my bow out of shock at Cutter's reaction. "You can't shoot me, sweetheart. If you do, it's just you and him. Then you'd have to make your choice." He tells me.

He's right. I can't choose. But I don't want Taren to die. I know that much. While I was lost in thought, Taren threw down his spear and tackled Cutter. His actions knocked me back to earth. Cutter laughed, dropped his axe, and met Taren halfway. _Ugh men. _ I think to myself.

I tried to kill Cutter, but I had no shot. Taren was completely in the way. And he was losing the fight. While Taren was big and strong, Cutter was big, strong, and experienced. He knocked Taren in the head and went to push him into the mutts. Out of pure instinct I released my arrow at Cutter, in what would probably be my last act. It connected with his shoulder and he released Taren and rounded on me. I threw down my bow and pulled a knife out of my belt. I took a defensive position as he got to me and picked me up. He turned around and threw me right in to the muttations.

I tucked my head in as I hit the ground right on my still sore knife injury.

I had lost my knife halfway through the throw. Even if I had it, I wouldn't have been able to defend myself. The pain was unbearable. They were clawing at my arms and legs, opening large cuts and causing me to scream in pain. I heard Taren yelling then, a cannon. Then an axe was cutting the mutts down.

Slicing them like butter. Each one half-squawked, half-yelped at their blows. They were all dead in a matter of seconds and Taren was there holding me. He sat me up and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were sad.

He handed me a knife and said,

"Here takes this. Use it and go home."

He walked a short distance away and waited. He closed his eyes and waited for what was to come. I looked at the knife in my hand. It was a long a hunting knife. It had slightly serrated blade.

It wasn't as dangerously dainty as my throwing knives, but I could land a throw on it. I raised my arm, wincing in pain, for what would be my last kill of the Games.

I brought my arm down and released the knife with a grunt. I saw Taren tense up at the sound. The knife sailed right passed his ear into the mutt that was behind him. It fell dead with a squawk and Taren's eyes opened and turned around at the sound.

He looked at me and as I managed to say, "I choose you." Just before I collapse.


	14. At LastPeace

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the color.

White.

Everything was a surgical white color. The next thing I noticed was that I was strapped into the bed. The only movement I could do was turn my head left and right. Over in one corner of the room was a man I assumed was a doctor. He looked up from his clipboard and saw me awake. He smiled kindly and went to a drawer to retrieve something. "Is it over?" I manage, "Is Taren safe? Am I safe?"

He nods and brings over a syringe. He injects and I fall asleep before I can thank him.

The next time I wake up, I am no longer bound to the bed. I get up and am able to move about. I am wearing a long white night gown and I feel overly rested. I open the door and try to find Taren. The doctor told me he was fine. He wouldn't lie to me, right?

I try several more rooms without success and finally meet another human after about twenty minutes of searching. Unfortunately, it's not the person I want to run into.

It's Gale.

He turns around and I see his eyes are still red from crying. He seems to be holding up. He smiles at me and asks me how I'm doing. I reach into my pocket and then up to my hair and find both the tokens are still there. I pull out Rory's pendant and slip it into Gale's hand.

He looks at it smiles sadly and thanks me. "I chose to be with Taren. I can never go home. Will you look out for my family Gale?"

"I won't have to. Since you won, they get your house in Victor's Village. They also get a money cut. And you get to see them once each year. You aren't completely cut off. And you'll be a mentor for the next Hunger Games."

I hadn't thought about that. I would be mentoring the next District 12 tributes for the Quarter Quell. The thought makes me slightly nauseous, but I push it away. "Where's Taren? I want to see him."

"I would let you, but they've asked to make your reunion public on at the interview with Caesar." "Alright, when is it?" "Tomorrow. Now go get some rest. You'll need it." He leads back to my room and closes the door behind me. I collapse on the bed because I was suddenly very tired.

I awaken to my prep team shaking me awake. They strip me down scrub me clean for a little bit then dry me with the strange machine. They stencil orange feather patterns on my legs and arms straighten my hair and paint my nails a fiery orange.

When Cinna enters he orders them out. "How are you holding up?" he asks. "I've been better, but I'll live." He nods but he still seems worried. He has me close my eyes as he slips on my dress. When I open them I see the amazing orange feather patterned dress. The lower cuff of the long sleeve falls down to my calf. It's a simple elegant dress. My prep team showered me in orange glitter. But still don't see this beautiful girl Taren saw at the reapings. "What am I now?" I ask still in awe. Cinna chuckles at my response. "You were a wild blaze at ceremonies, a beautiful spark in the interviews, and now you represent the rebirth of life after the burns. You are a Phoenix."

I wait for the platform to rise. I need to see Taren. I think about how much I need an emotional rock. Deep in thought, my platform begins to rise and I am in the interview. The applause was deafening. The lights were blinding. The life of a victor.

I look to my left as he begins to rise. When he arrives, I'm breathless. He smiled standing there in a grey tuxedo. I forgot all else. I ran fast to him and jumped right into his arms. He caught me and held me for a good five minutes. This drove the crowd crazy. When he let go, I looked up straight into his eyes. Green met blue. He smiled and finally, pulled me in for a kiss. At that moment all else ceased to exist. Only he and I were there. When we let go of each other, the sound and the Capitol returned. I looked at him and went in for another to his surprise. When we let go, he smiles at me questioningly. I laugh and say,

"What can I say? I'm in love."


	15. Just To Let You Know

**Hey guys! Sorry this is way late! It just came to me. Tell me if I should write a sequel?**

President Snow stepped into the clearing. It was a beautiful place. But he was of too fine a taste to live here as she did.

The cottage was quaint. He knew that she would be there. The forest was belongs to her as long the other two remain compliant. It was time to tell her what had conspired.

He opened the door to the cottage and entered.

She sat her table, about to eat no doubt.

Her black hair had grown down to her thighs. She was very beautiful. It was hard to believe this was the same girl he had left here with only a bow and a home six years ago.

The seventeen year old's grey eyes were large and round and full of shock and anger.

"Hello Katniss. How've you been?" said Snow.

She remained stoic, silent, and angry.

He chuckled to himself. "You're right not to trust people. You're more like me than you know." he said.

She flared up angrily and finally said, rather she spat, "Why are **_you _**here?!"

He smiled pleasantly and said "To tell you the good news and bad news. Good news, your sister won the Hunger Games."

**_Katniss POV_**

My heart skipped so many beats, I thought it had stopped. Not only had Prim been reaped, but she had won.

"Why are you telling me?" I said, my voice trembling traitorously.

"Because she defied us and sparked a rebellion. We gave her a choice between home and the one she "loved". She chose him." he said sounding upset for the first time.

Oh Prim….she would be about thirteen now. And Oakland would be in his first reaping this year. Oh how she longed to be with her siblings and parents.

"Why are you telling me?" she asked not hostile this time.

"Because, your brother, Oakland, is next." he said.


End file.
